ADHD troubles

L

lesliemarie

Cathlete
Gave my son his first adderall pill yesterday and it was a disaster!! the doctor had to give him some kind of sedative to calm him down, he got very aggitated and very violent! so now we are trying to figure a new way to treat my son, he now knows stimulants are NOT the way we need to go with him. He didn't even sleep last night so that means I didn't get to sleep much last night, He was not the little boy that I was used to seeing the anger in his eyes were very scary you couldn't even talk to him or be around him it was so bad. my hubby told me to go for awhile by myself while he dealt with him. I am trying so hard to find a support group that I can talk with that can understand all this that we are going through. And this is just pill #1
 
Leslie Im so sorry that you had to go through this, yikes. It's weird that each child reacts different to medicence because I just started a few weeks ago back on the Adderall for my son and he is doing so much better then when he was on Concerta which was a total nightmare for me. I guess your son had a real bad reaction to adderall like my son had a bad reaction to Concerta.

A few years back my son was on adderall for a couple of years until the beginning of school year when he went back into main stream the teacher just couldn't handle him so we switch to concerta "biggest mistake I made" Well now he is on the adderall XR which is release control where he was on just the plain adderall.

I sure can relate what your going through. It takes a lot of patiance. Well now my son is back in Special Education which is a little slower pace then the main stream which made a big improvement for him. Did you ask your pedictrician about any support group in your area? Right now I am not going to any as he is doing great right now.

Leslie you can email anytime you need to talk:)
 
Hello Leslie-

I have a ADHD son who is now 13.5...Adderal did not work for him either...he was very agressive and emotional...cried and was angry...real moody... My son has done really well on ritilin and then concerta (both are the same active ingredient just different brands etc.) Have you tried ritlin or concerta?....It seems the doctors really push adderal...I am unclear as to why. My son has had no side effects on ritilin or concerta. What is nice about concerta is it is a slow acting and a fast acting in a time released pill..so it is only one pill a day.

I know a lot of people have really been against the medicating of kids...but when you find the right dosage and brand...it really helps these kids out.

Let me know if I can help you out or just be a shoulder or ear.
 
>Hello Leslie-
>
>I have a ADHD son who is now 13.5...Adderal did not work for
>him either...he was very agressive and emotional...cried and
>was angry...real moody...

That's strange how different kids act different from different medication because my son acted like this with "Concerta"

>It seems the doctors really push adderal...I am
>unclear as to why.

I don't know why they push this but my didn't at all.
 
The reaction your son had could have been the symtoms of early onset bipolar. In your earlier post you said you were also looking at the possibilty of bipolar. The reaction your son had to the adderall is how a bipolar child would have reacted had you given him a stimulate of any kind.

I would suggest you take your child to a CHILD psychriatrist (sp?)
They deal with children with these types of problems. If you take him to a regular doctor or a regular psychriatrist they may not want " to label him" because of his age. My son had to go thru 3 psychriatrist before I found one willing to treat him in spite of his age. His medicine has made a world of difference to him.

a website that may help you out is: bpkids.org
it has invaluable information about early onset bipolar.

Feel free to email me with any questions you may have at:
[email protected]
[email protected]

Kim
 
I am taking my son to a psychologist, matter of fact there are two working on our case right now. I told his doctor about what happened last night and he was still in that mood this morning. I think I cried a gallon of tears in just one day LOL. Any way he said with the reaction we got he doesn't really want to try a stimulant again and I am pretty scared to try it again after what we went through, that was so scary. He is now a happy giggly boy, went to take my other son to dinner for his Birthday tonight and my toddler couldn't sit just walked around the table and I put that in the basket C as in the book it was not worth inducing and eduring a meltdown he was kind polite and happy and not bothering anyone so I let that one go.
The doctor put him on Senoquel to counter act the Adderall effects and it worked great!!! he has to be on that for 7 days and then we will talk about what we want to do next, he is in special ed and will remain in special ed for awhile.
I so appreciate all your help, sometimes I feel like I wore out my welcome LOL sorry about that, I will e-mail I do need some friends that have dealt with kids like mine I wanted to start a support group for mothers like me that really need a group so we can vent and talk about differant stratagies also.
 
I can't really realate to a child having ADHD. But I can relate to having it myself. I had it all my life, but not so severe as a kid, but symptoms were there. I noticed it more as I got older. Wondering why I just couldnt concentrate, why I had no desire for doing well in college. Then as I got a job, how my mind would just wonder off all the time. I was also moody. Somedays I was Jekyl and Hyde. Looking back at when I was a kid how moody I was too. Frown on my face when I should be having fun (and for no reason) It just escalated as I got older. I finally went to the doctor but not just for ADHD, but also for depression. I was put on Lithium for Bipolar. Patients with Bipolar actually show more of the signs of ADHD than ADHD patients do (so they say). I was put on Concerta initially. I thought it worked great at first, but the moods were still there. I'll eventually go back to it again. I also have social anxiety which the medication does help. I dont get so nervous at meetings anymore. Im now doing better than I ever have been in a while. My silliness and sense of humor came back and Im starting to say hi to people in the mornings now! lol(i was horrible in the mornings, my worst time of day).

I wish you luck. Keep doing what your doing. Take him to the doctor, talk things out with everyone. It may take a little while for the medications to start working or to find one that works. These things take time. But, in the end you'll feel much better about the decisions you made and the time you put in. Its all for the better.
 
Hi Leslie! I happen to be a person that's very skeptical about all the meds being prescribed for ADHD children. Have you done extensive research in the New England Journal of Medicine? We as parents need to armed today with a multitude of info. We cannot take just the doctor's advice. I'm very concerned for your son. My prayers are w/you & your husband at this very trying time. Are there any support groups in your hometown? I live in NY & we have groups for everything under the sun! I haven't helped much but know that I care. Take care, Kathy
 
Kathy, I understand your skepticism because some drugs are over-prescribed for children who are difficult to handle. Give them a drug and see if it helps sort of philosophy. However, I wish I had known YEARS before that my son was ADHD without the hyperactivity because the drug he now takes has made "miraculous" changes in this child. He's the kid he was supposed to be all along. We didn't find out until he was sixteen and had struggled, unbeknownst to us, for so many years. Unless you have a child who is ADHD, it's difficult to really understand what a difference medication can make. Until you live through their pain and feelings of being "different", one doesn't understand what a godsend medication can be.

Leslie, It took us over a year to find the correct med and dosage for our son. Strattera, the new non-stimulant drug for ADHD, made our son depressed and I swear even less focused. Adderall became the drug of choice for him and luckily it works beautifully for him. But I've read that many people just can't take it. So hang in there. No matter how adept your physician is, it's truly a trial and error process. Alexis
 
Alexis I'm glad you posted this. When Nik was first diagnosed with OCD, I fought against meds. And I'm an RN! But when it comes to our children, we're very protective. Until her psychologist and psychiatrist helped me to understand that without medication she wouldn't have the resources to fight this, I was resistant. Within two weeks of being on the Paxil it was like I had my daughter back. She had become so depressed dealing with the obsessions, and it was such a gradual and insidious process, that we just never saw it. The first time I heard her singing in the shower again I sat on the floor and cried. I realized I hadn't heard her doing that in literally years.

Leslie, hang in there with your son. There are effective ways to treat ADHD. As with any medical condition, sometimes you have to experiment a bit to find the med that works for you. Even people with conditions like hypertension or arthritis have to try different meds at times until they find one that reacts well with their unique chemistry. ADHD and OCD are no different. We got lucky the first time with the Paxil, but not everyone can take SSRI's. They will find something that can help your son. You're doing your part by watching him and his reactions to the meds. You're a good mom, Leslie. Hang in there!!

Carol
:)
 
I hear ya, Carol. When my child became so frustrated and said, "I'm useless. Life isn't worth living", we were not so skeptical about meds anymore! Best thing that ever happened to him. Aside from me being his mom:7 . Alexis
 
I gave my son the Seroquel yesterday and my poor baby slept for like 4 hours!!! I got so scared that I don't know if I want to give it to him today or not, I love him so much I just want what is best for him but I don't want to mess him up. I am going as the doctor says. he is supposed to be on the Seroquel for 7 days and just a half tablet but I can't get that down him, he can't swallow a pill and if I smash it up and put it in something he can taste it and spits it out.
He is alot more pleasant now days and not so aggressive as he used to be. I have learned to talk to him with basket thinking. what behaviors I can learn to live with till he outgrows them and some that he needs to learn and then the basket A is the one that deals with safety and right now that basket is almost always empty.
If I could learn to post a picture I would show you how beautiful he is!! he is a doll!! so are my other three kids!! just love them. I am so glad I have 4 great wonderful kids!!! and my teens are a blast most of the time!!!
 
Good morning! I am a teacher (1st grade), and my have some suggestions. It sounds like you need some support and information. There are some great websites out there that are very informative and may give you and your husband the help and support that you need (I learned about this one from my grad. class-I am studying spec. ed.). Type is a search for CHADD (children and adults with ADD). There may even be a local chapter that you and your husband can join. That will put you in touch with other families who are going through (or have gone through) the same things that you are. LDonline is another super resource. It has a lot of information about ADHD because a lot of children who have a learning disability also have ADHD.

How old is your son? What strategies have been tried in the classroom? Do you provide a lot of structure at home (with routines)?If you need ideas for strategies to try at home, ask your son's teacher or guidance counselor (or try ldoline).

I have taught many children who have either been diagnosed with ADHD or who have had the symptoms (teachers can't diagnose, only a MD can). For some, medicine is the way to go. I have seen families experiment with different meds until one clicked. What works for one child, may not work for another (what you are experiencing right now). Make sure you contact the doctor and let him/her know of the reaction immediately. Hopefully, he/she will give you something else to try.

Hope this helps!!!
-Jen
 
I am a teacher too, and I also have a ADHD son. He takes a drug called Stratera. It is not a stimulant, and I can get a Rx for 6 months at a time. I am not really sure how it works. We had a short adjustment period when he switched. He was really moody and a little depressed for about 3 weeks, but has done really well since the adjustment period. My doctor says our senerio is pretty typical with this drug. It is helping him concentrate, without the severe side effects the dexidrine had on his blood pressure and appetite. It does effect his appetite some, but not anywhere near as severely as the other drug did. We have never tried Adderall. On a scale of 0 to 10. 10 being the most severe my son is probably a 6.

ADHD is very perplexing. I am not sure that everything that is labeled as ADHD is really that. Hang in there. It sounds like your son has the most important thing he needs, and that is a mom who is loves him and is looking out for his welfare. I can recommend a book by Dr. Levine. It is called Misunderstood Minds. He also has a video series that is very good. I purchased my book off from PBS. I bought the video too.

Hang in there. There are no quick fixes where ADHD is concerned. It takes a team: doctor, parents, child, teacher, and often medication,to get the upper hand.
 
Hi Leslie,

I don't have any experience with children with ADHD, but I do have ADD myself. I was on ritalin for a couple of years and it really helped with my concentration but I stopped because of the unknown long term effects.

Have you heard about the recent research about the role of fatty acids in conditions like ADHD? I currently take a special supplement, called eye-q. The lady in the drugstore who sold it had ADHD herself and she had just stopped with ritalin. She was now on this produkt for about 4-weeks and was doing really fine.

Of course I am no doctor and I can't give you any medical advice, but maybe you want to check this product out and consult it with your doctor. You can find information on www.equazen.com (see research in the menu below, choose the inner sanctum and then ADHD), and also see the news menu.

I wish you all the best.

Heleen
 
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